Avoid Spending Big Bucks On Expensive Textbooks

Many students are familiar with the frustrating ritual at the end of any college term — selling back those costly textbooks, only to be handed back a fraction of the cash you originally paid. The “Textbook Rebellion” campaign is all about lowering that initial high price.

CNNMoney highlights Nicole Allen, Textbook Advocate for TextbookRebellion.org, who says “Prices have skyrocketed four times the rate of inflation,” adding that the average student will spend $1,137 per year on textbooks.

She points out that for many cash-strapped students (aren’t they all?) that can be a barrier to learning: With books often costing $200 or $250, they may opt not to buy the books at all.

But there is some recent good news for students, as textbook rentals, shopping online for used books, using campus swaps and social networking to find the book you need have all made it a little easier to score a cheaper book.

Textbook rebellion is looking for change in the long-term, says Allen, and seeks to make books affordable to begin with. Viva la rebellion!